At the age of 27, Brownlow medallist Nat Fyfe is at the peak of his powers, and the Dockers need to strike while that is still the case. Photo: GETTY IMAGES

FREMANTLE 2018 record: 8 wins, 14 losses (14th)

THE INS
Jesse Hogan (Melbourne), Rory Lobb (GWS), Reece Conca (Richmond), Travis Colyer (Essendon), Sam Sturt (Dandenong Stingrays), Luke Valente (Norwood), Lachlan Schultz (Williamstown), Brett Bewley (Williamstown), Tobe Watson (Swan Districts), Jason Carter (Peel Thunder)

THE OUTS
Lachie Neale (Brisbane Lions), Lee Spurr (retired), Danyle Pearce (retired), Michael Johnson (retired), Tom Sheridan (delisted – GWS), Cam Sutcliffe (delisted), Brady Grey (delisted), Luke Strnadica (delisted), Michael Apeness (retired)

THE STRENGTHS
When you have a top five player in the AFL like Nat Fyfe, you’re always some chance, no matter how remote, of turning things around in a short space of time. At 27, Fyfe is at his prime, and the Dockers need to strike while the iron is hot and he is still playing like he is. After crying out for a genuine key forward for years, all of Freo’s Christmases came at once in the trade period with Jesse Hogan and Rory Lobb both joining the club. They will surely have a huge impact and straighten the Dockers up in front of goal, which is what they desperately need given they were the third-worst attack in the AFL in 2018. Michael Walters and David Mundy are still elite contributors, Alex Pearce made a triumphant return after a long injury layoff, Bailey Banfield emerged as an effective tagger and youngsters such as Andrew Brayshaw and Adam Cerra provide a lot of hope.

THE WEAKNESSES
As previously stated, Fremantle were ranked No.16 in 2018 in terms of offence. They got smashed by 50 points or more on nine occasions – including an insipid 133-point loss to Geelong in round 22, was not only their worst-ever defeat but one which also saw the Cats pile on a record-breaking 23 goals in a row. There’s no doubt if Fremantle routinely lose like that again next year, coach Ross Lyon will come under increasing scrutiny with his contract due to expire in 2020. Freo was also ranked 14th for marks inside 50 on differentials last season, so they will be hoping that Hogan and Lobb dramatically improve that department. However, the Dockers also came in at 16th for total inside 50s in 2018, so if they can’t fix supply next year, then it wouldn’t matter if John Coleman, Gary Ablett senior and Tony Lockett were in their forward line. The Dockers just couldn’t get their hands on the ball last season, as they were placed 17th for contested possessions, 16th for disposals, 13th for marks and 11th for clearances on differentials. They were also ranked 13th for tackles, which would really grate on Lyon, who built his reputation on the manic pressure of the great St Kilda and Fremantle sides of the recent past. The lack of resistance in the middle of the ground is also underscored by the fact Freo ranked fifth for most inside 50s conceded in 2018, which played a big part in the Dockers having the fifth-worst defence in the competition.

ONE TO WATCH
Connor Blakely looks like he is ready to take the next step after an impressive 2018 season was unfortunately cut short after round 13 due to a knee injury suffered at training. He played really well off half-back, but with Lachie Neale now at Brisbane, someone is going to have to fill that huge hole in the midfield, and Blakely could just be the man for the job. It wouldn’t surprise if he moved back into the midfield, especially with the backline boosted by Conca and a fit-again Stephen Hill.

UNDER THE PUMP
With the injection of Hogan and Lobb, and Brennan Cox looking like he is on the verge of breaking out, all of a sudden key forwards Cam McCarthy, Matthew Taberner and Shane Kersten might all have a battle on their hands to play regular footy. Taberner’s 2018 was cruelled by a foot injury and Kersten was already struggling for game time, the latter switching to defence when he did get a reprieve, but McCarthy was more of a mainstay, managing just 19 goals from 17 games. Bottom line is the trio have failed to set the world on fire, and they may be watching more games from the stands in 2019 than they’d like.

BEST 22
B: Luke Ryan, Alex Pearce, Reece Conca
HB: Nathan Wilson, Joel Hamling, Stephen Hill
C: Bradley Hill, Connor Blakely, Ed Langdon
HF: Brandon Matera, Rory Lobb, Michael Walters
F: Hayden Ballantyne, Jesse Hogan, Brennan Cox
R: Aaron Sandilands, Nat Fyfe, David Mundy
Inter: Darcy Tucker, Bailey Banfield, Andrew Brayshaw, Adam Cerra
Emerg: Sean Darcy, Cam McCarthy, Taylin Duman, Stefan Giro

New recruits Hogan, Lobb and Conca all seamlessly slide into the Dockers’ best 22. Sandilands might still be the nominal No.1 ruckman, but he is 36 and has only managed 26 games in the last three seasons due to injury, so don’t expect Darcy to spend too many weeks in the emergency row. The joker in the pack, of course, is Harley Bennell, but goodness knows if he will ever get it together.